As urban populations grow and the trend for outdoor living becomes a staple for homeowners and renters alike, the need for out-of-doors privacy has never been greater. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that as of 2012, 80.7 percent of the population resided in urban areas. Moreover, while homes have been increasing in size, lots have been decreasing. Similarly, the Apartment and Condominium Construction industry has been experiencing one of the fastest expansions within the construction sector. In their personal landscapes, everywhere, people are in closer proximity to one another and in need of privacy.
Also, there is a trend to bring the indoors, out, by creating outdoor landscapes that are well-designed, comfortable retreats. In 2016, The Institute of Architects reported that the outdoor living market expected to top $7.1 billion by 2020. Consumers desire relaxing, personal spaces with lighting and furnishings, including privacy partitions that decoratively enhance views or, in some cases, screen undesirable vistas.
Important, too, for outdoor living is a means to limit exposure to skin cancer-causing, ultraviolet (UV) rays. Identifying adequate shading devices for outdoor living environments is a concern.
Taking advantage of these outdoor spaces on fair-weather days means that privacy, decorative, and at least partially sun-shielding privacy screens are required to function in breezes and winds that often arise on the sunniest occasions. Outdoor space-dividers need to be wind resistant and stable under such conditions.
There exists, across industries, a variety of devices that include parts addressing the aforementioned needs relative to an effectively functioning outdoor privacy screen. However, no product or disclosure addresses all of these requirements in a single, successful invention.
Prior art discloses outdoor, manually moveable and portable privacy screens, windscreens, and sunshades, among others. Privacy is usually achieved by tensioning one or more, large, flexible i.e., fabric panels to a frame. However, tensioned panels are not wind resistant and in breezy conditions, such screens become unstable. And, recommendations for leg bracing via sandbags or other weights is unwieldy and unattractive. In addition, although large, flexible panels may be removable from their frames, they are costly to replace, difficult to clean, and offer fewer design alternatives than the smaller, easily removable panels of the present invention. U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,648 (Goharjou; Sep. 10, 1996) discloses a portable wall system with flexible sheet half-moon cut flaps. However, wind slits are negligible in wind force abatement.
Fixed, e.g., bolted down, clamped on, etc., outdoor deck partitions and balcony shields exist in prior art. These types rely on the structural integrity of their foundations or supports for stability. Compromised deck flooring or balcony railing inhibits the safe functioning of these types. And, unlike the present invention, fixed types lack mobility to provide light deflection as the sun changes position throughout the day. U.S. Pat. No. 6,513,566 B2 (Larin; Feb. 4, 2003), discloses a balcony railing-affixed shielding device with two flexible panels.
Outdoor, wind-resistant, multi-panel products exist in prior art such as traffic shields and fence products. These barriers are unrelated to the functional privacy the present invention assumes. U.S. Pat. No. 8,973,645 B1 (Cannova; Mar. 10, 2015) discloses a portable wind-resistant traffic screen wherein “The screen partially disengages . . . for the purpose of reducing wind pressure . . . .”
Devices with flexible fabric, louver-arranged panels for permitting airflow, and wind resistance, where the lamellae are not interconnected for motion, exist ranging from windbreakers to insect screens. However, prior art discloses no invention that allows air to pass between flexible-fabric louver-arranged panels ensuring resistance to wind gusts such as the present invention assumes. U.S. Pat. No. 4,432,381 (Greenbaum; Feb. 21, 1984) discloses a windbreaker secured to a frame.
Prior art discloses indoor, space-dividing privacy partitions with flexible frame covers typically designed for venues such as: offices, hotel rooms, and, production facilities. Prior art reveals no invention incorporating both mobility and a decorative mix-and-match, multi-panel function such as the present invention assumes. U.S. Pat. No. 6,354,043 B1 (Simon et. al, Mar. 12, 2002) discloses an office partition of draped fabric panels reliant on a fixed frame.
Prior art reveals inventions incorporating quick-release snap fasteners for attaching flexible sheets to solid substrates in devices such as boat covers and display frames among others. No prior art reveals a quick-release, panel fastening system such as the present invention assumes. U.S. Pat. No. 4,471,548 (Goudie; Sep. 18, 1984) discloses a display frame wherein snap fasteners work in conjunction with stabilizing flat bar (see FIG. 13), but the device is not a privacy screen in character.
The present invention's features are easily distinguishable from these and other devices. None of the above devices, taken either singly or in combination, provides a privacy screen for outdoor, residential and commercial use such as the present invention assumes.
The present invention was developed of tubular aluminum, solid aluminum bar, solid steel foot components, and fabric panels for a free-standing and stable; manually moveable; easily assembled frame incorporating releasably-fastened, frame-attached elements suspending a series of mix-and-match, flexible, louver-arranged panels that afford privacy, mitigation of sunlight, and an allowance for air flow thus creating a wind resistant privacy screen.